Do you need money to hire a personal injury lawyer?

A very common question we get is whether or not you need money in advance to hire us, and with our firm, you do not ever need money in advance to hire us.

Most people injured in an accident don’t have the money to pay for a lawyer

Most people, I’d say 90-95 percent of the people hurt in serious accidents certainly do not have any extra funds to pay for a lawyer. Their problem is quite the opposite – how are they going to make their mortgage payments, their insurance payments when they’re injured, paying doctor’s bills, and are out of work.

Our personal injury attorneys fully understand the tremendous financial challenges that most victims face after an accident. To account for this, we work under a fee structure that is truly in the best interests of our clients.

What If I Can’t Afford a Personal Injury Lawyer?

Since we work on a contingency fee basis you don’t need to pay us unless and until we win your case. We get paid through the winning settlement from the insurance company. Since insurance companies are always trying to pay out the least amount possible, you can’t afford not to hire an attorney in a serious injury matter.

What You Need to Know About Our Personal Injury Lawyer Fees

We all started here giving free legal services to the poor when we got out of law school, and there’s never a fee in advance, there’s never a charge in advance. What we charge is a percentage of what we collect for you but we don’t take it until and unless we collect for you.

This type of fee structure is known as a contingency fee arrangement. Over our decades of experience, we have found that contingency fee agreements offer many different benefits for our clients. Specifically, some of the advantages of using this type of payment structure include:

Zero out-of-pocket costs for you: Most importantly, if you work with our team, you will not be required to pay out-of-pocket costs to bring your personal injury claim. Instead, our team will front all of the costs and fees needed to pursue your case. We want to put money back into your bank account, not take anymore out of it. No matter your current financial status, you can afford to hire our highly qualified personal injury lawyers.

No hourly billing: Some lawyers bill clients using hourly rates. This means that if you call your lawyer, and talk for 30 minutes about your case, you will be charged for that time. With a contingency fee agreement, there are no hourly charges. This is great news for you, as it means that you can call your lawyer without worrying about getting charged for the time.

No financial risks: The last thing any victim needs after a serious accident is to pursue a legal case, only to be unsuccessful, ending up with even more bills to pay. That will not happen with our firm. We will happily take on all the financial risks of bringing your claim. If you do not recover compensation, we do not collect our legal fees; it is as simple as that. We are so confident in our ability to assist you, that we have no worries about fronting the costs and accepting all of the risks.

No fear of insurers with deep pockets: It is no secret that the big insurance companies have very deep pockets. However, when you work with our firm, you do not need to be worried about this. We will not let them bury you in costs or paperwork. Our firm has the skills and the resources to take on any insurance company, no matter the size.

Fully aligned interests: Finally, it is important to note that this structure allows us to fully align our financial interests with that of our clients. For victims, this is the best type of structure to have, because it means your lawyer only gets paid if you get paid.

Who pays the costs of litigation in a personal injury case?

The short answer is that we do and you do. Initially our firm will advance all costs necessary to handle your case from initial investigation all the way through trial (if necessary). At the time of recovery, whether it’s through settlement or trial, then you pay us back out of the proceeds of your case.

As to the question of how much, litigation costs in a lawsuit can vary anywhere from a couple thousand dollars all the way up to a half a million dollars on some of the largest and most complex cases. Again, our firm will advance all costs no matter how much they may run. The reason costs vary from case to case have to do with the types of issues that are contested in your case, and the degree to which they are contested. For example, proving the defendants fault in some cases may require the use of expert consultants.

The same is true for issues such as medical causation: is a particular medical condition directly related to your accident. Again, we often use highly qualified medical experts to help us with those issues.

We will spend whatever it takes to get the best recovery in your case, but we are always conscious of how much we are spending, and we don’t do it unless we know it’s going to benefit your case, and ultimately you.

Get Free Legal Help Today from GJEL Accident Attorneys Today

At GJEL Accident Attorneys, our team also offers free, no-obligation legal consultations. If you have questions or concerns about your injury claim, please do not hesitate to pick up the phone and call our office at 1-855-508-9565 to request a free review of your case. We serve communities throughout the Bay Area, including San Jose, Oakland, Richmond, Fresno, Concord and Berkeley.

Andy Gillin received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley and his law degree from the University of Chicago. He is the managing partner of GJEL Accident Attorneys and has written and lectured in the field of plaintiffs’ personal injury law for numerous organizations. Andy is a highly recognized wrongful death lawyer in California.

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